MAGAZINES BANNED

Southland Times, Issue 23736, 7 February 1939, Page 8

MAGAZINES BANNED

CHEAP AMERICAN LINES (Special to The Times) . NEW PLYMOUTH, February 6. The importation of cheap American magazines of the crime and sex types has been barred under the import control scheme, according to advice received in Taranaki. The supply of Australian periodicals, magazines and similar literature will from now on be made to booksellers cn firm order only, but the position about English and American matter is still obscure, except in the case of crime and sex typos of American origin. Advice to this effect was received by booksellers from a wholesale importing house.

Restriction on Australian matter to firm order means that no returns will be allowed, and booksellers will therefore stock very little if at all in these lines above the number required for permanent customers. If a bookseller wishes to order more in expectation of casual sales he can do so, but unsold articles will represent a dead loss. The ban on crime and sex magazines applies mainly to the cheaper types of productions, most of which are American. One bookseller, while agreeing that this type of reading was of poor moral tone and therefore no loss to the ccmmv ’ty as a whole, said the ban would mean a big reduction in turnover. Imports were evidently, going to be based on 1938 consumption figures and although these were generally acceptable they would pe-.alize the bookseller who had built up sales of any particular lines during the past year.